Historian says Pius XII should be portrayed in 'shades of grey'
An accurate portrayal of Pope Pius XII in World War II should be done in 'shades of grey', US Jesuit historian Fr Gerald P. Fogarty has said.
He says the pope was shaped by his training and experience as a diplomat, and what he said or did not say during the war must be understand in a context of the Holy See's official policy of "impartiality" or neutrality with regard to the warring parties.
Fr Fogarty, a professor of religious studies and history at the University of Virginia, spoke about Pope Pius' role in the war in a lecture at the Dominican House of Studies last week.